Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Dr. Stephenson,
Hello, my name is Olivia Hope, and I was a first year student in the Art and Science program. I am writing this letter to appeal for a late dropping of my winter semester courses due to personal matters that occurred before and during my winter semester. These personal matters took a toll on my mental health and effected my ability to continue doing my school work. Regrettably, I did not drop my classes within the given timeframe due to my belief that I could overcome my mental health struggles independently while also continuing to complete my studies. This of course did not happen and I realized much too late that I was not going to be able to successfully pass any of my classes regardless of whether or not I got better. I also was not aware, up until recently, that there was an appeal process for this matter. I only discovered this option after speaking to a member of the PASS program on Friday, May 14, who recommend speaking to an academic advisor to discuss the late drop appeal process. On Wednesday, May 26, I spoke with an academic advisor who confirmed that this process was the best course of action for me to follow.

Like many others this year I was dealing with a number of personal matters that impeded my ability to be successful in my post-secondary education. Unfortunately, I was assisting a close friend through a difficult battle with mental illness. She had several major depression episodes between May 2020 and the spring of 2021. She got significantly worse between October 2020 and January 2021 to the point where she started to self-harm when she would have a major depressive episode. This was very stressful for me as I realized how easily it would be for her to make a mistake and actually fatally injure herself. I never mentioned this to her for fear that this could cause her to slip even deeper into their depression. On the 15 of January 2021 I received a message from this friend telling me that she had admitted herself to a nearby hospital in order to prevent a fourth self-harming episode. This event lead to an adjustment in her medication and she has been steadily improving over the last couple of months. Adding to my stress was the death of my great grandmother Ruth, who I loved and missed dearly. She had unexpectedly passed away on Tuesday, January 12, 2021. Her death was extremely upsetting to me and my family as I had not been able see or visit her for almost a year before her passing. I did not handle her death well and it caused me to fall into a state of grief, which caused me to have what I can only describe as a mini depression. This negatively effected my energy levels and my ability to handle my courses' workload, which I failed to overcome.

This combination of events was a major hit to my own mental health and I believed what I was dealing with was insignificant compared to others around me and did not realize I should seek help. I have since discussed my struggles with my family and friends and have a plan to get myself back on track with my goals. I am pleased to say I have been able to move forward and am requesting you kindly consider my request for late withdrawal of my winter semester courses.
Regards,
Olivia Hope